'Blackmailing power can bring govt, DGCA to knees': Raghav Chadha flags 'duopoly' in aviation sector amid IndiGo row

Raghav Chadha

Following the IndiGo flight cancellation crisis, Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday flagged the "duopoly" in the aviation sector, demanding that the Centre encourage other companies to enter the market.

In an interview with ANI, Raghav Chadha alleged that IndiGo, with its large share in the market, possess a "blackmailing power" against the government and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The AAP MP said, "About a year ago, I spoke at length in Parliament about the aviation sector, raising several issues. These included the expensive food at airports, increasing flight rates, and, most importantly, something that is very relevant in today's context, that India's aviation sector is suffering from a monopolistic situation. We have become a duopoly. All flights are operated by either Air India or IndiGo. IndiGo controls 70 per cent of India's aviation sector. This gives them such immense bargaining power, or to put it in cruder terms, blackmailing power, that they can bring the government or the DGCA to their knees."

Starting on December 3, the airline faced massive disruptions, with cancellations, severe delays, and the rescheduling of many flights, primarily due to a sudden shortage of pilots and crew following the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms issued by the DGCA last year.

This also led to passengers being stranded at airports and other airlines having skyrocketing airfares. The DGCA granted IndiGo exemptions under the FDTL norms, and the airline began operating more than 1,700 flights a day from December 8.

Raghav Chadha alleged that the DGCA and the airline failed to implement the FDTL norms despite ample time.

"The FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitation) rules, which led to all these problems faced by Indian passengers, were introduced in January 2024. This means the DGCA and the airlines had almost two years to implement them, yet we failed. The DGCA could have acted more proactively. There is a financial cost involved. But there is also a huge cost in terms of inconvenience. It's a free market, there's no doubt about that. But the sector should be opened up in a way that encourages other companies to enter and participate in the aviation sector," he said.

Earlier today, the Delhi High Court disposed of a fresh public interest litigation (PIL) filed against IndiGo Airlines over mass flight cancellations and passenger hardship, holding that the issues raised are already under consideration in an earlier pending writ petition before the Court.

IndiGo earlier stated that it has estimated the compensation amount will exceed Rs 500 crore for customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure and who were left severely stranded at certain airports across the country.